🎧 The YouTube Trap Most Podcasters Fall Into (And How to Avoid It)

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⚾️ Sports Mentality in the Creative Space

Creatives love to believe we’re nothing like athletes. We don’t “train,” we “feel.” We don’t “compete,” we “express.” And yet every meaningful creative breakthrough has the same fingerprints as a great sports moment: repetition, focus, resilience, and a willingness to look a little ridiculous while you get better.

Next time you feel stuck, try thinking less like a tortured artist and more like someone warming up before game time. Take the shot. Miss gloriously. Adjust. Repeat. Because creativity isn’t a performance, it’s practice.

🎙️ Signal Flow: Stephanie Arakelian

Industry game changers and valiant minds share their wisdom, adversities, and paths to innovation.

Stephanie Arakelian is an award-winning Podcast Growth Strategist and the current Podcast Growth Strategist at Mark Manson’s SOLVED, where she leads analytics and omni-platform expansion across audio and YouTube. Named one of Quill’s 50 Trailblazing Women in Podcasting (2024) and a two-time Ambies Judge, she has driven audience growth for major shows including Women of Impact and Impact Theory. She also consults for creators and brands and co-founded the SoCal Podcast Meetup. Connect on IG @stepharakelian or LinkedIn.

Editor’s note: The following interview has been edited for flow and clarity.

People always ask the same question: How do I grow my show? Everyone wants the hack. The secret. The magic switch. But growth isn’t magic, it’s clarity and consistency.

Consistency because listeners crave reliability. Release your episodes on the same day, around the same time, every time. Human behavior loves rhythm. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the root system that lets a podcast grow.

And clarity, because without a “why,” even the most well-produced show collapses. I walk creators through this all the time. Why are you doing this? To build community? Tell your story? Generate leads? Connect with people? If your answer doesn’t light you up, you’re not going to stick with the parts that aren’t fun, like the editing, the show notes, the uploads, the titles, the little unsexy pieces people underestimate.

When we talk about advanced strategy, things get more interesting. Podcasting today isn’t one audience, it’s multiple. Audio listeners behave differently from YouTube viewers. Spotify video consumers aren’t the same as subscribers on Apple Podcasts. So the first step is to really understand who’s listening. Not who you think you’re making the show for, but who the data says is actually there. Demographics, age ranges, location, gender skew, best-performing topics. From that, you build an audience profile.

Once you know who they are, you can meet them where they already are. If your audience is women 35–55, their time is tight. They want value early in an episode. They want structure. They want clarity. They want to know exactly why they should spend 45 minutes with you. Sometimes that means shorter episodes. Sometimes it means front-loading the “here’s what you’ll get” section.

And then there’s YouTube. That’s a different beast entirely. Discoverability exists there in a way it simply doesn’t in podcast apps. YouTube is powered by search, by recommended videos, by titles and thumbnails that signal value in under two seconds. Average view duration (AVD) is the metric people obsess over. You have to hook viewers fast. And often that means packaging the same episode differently for YouTube versus audio.

For example, at a previous network I worked at, we found something interesting happening on YouTube. One long two- or three-hour episode performed well because the audience was primed for long-form conversations. But on audio? Completely different. Audio listeners topped out around 40–45 minutes. So we split episodes in half for audio, giving listeners what they could actually consume and what kept them engaged. We changed titles, too, because audio isn’t driven by search. People rarely discover shows through episode titles; they come for the host, the style, the perspective.

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YouTube is search, SEO, topical angles, click-worthy framing. And if you want to grow there, you have to play that game. Chapters help retain viewers. Strong thumbnails matter. Timestamps and takeaways help people jump to the value they want.

The trick is delivering value without alienating either audience. Too many podcasters just rip the audio from their video show and throw it into an RSS feed. That’s not enough. If the audio-only listener feels like they’re missing something, you’ve just trained them to go somewhere else. But when the storytelling is strong, when the episode works even with your eyes closed, that’s when you’ve elevated both versions.

The biggest shift I’ve seen is creators learning how to design for multiple platforms without becoming multiple people. It’s not about being everywhere, it’s about being adaptable. About understanding why someone shows up for you in the first place.

And then there’s the CTA, the call to action. Creators hate saying it: “Don’t forget to subscribe! And ring the bell!” And yes, audiences can tune it out. But here’s the truth: If you don’t say it, they won’t do it. It’s human nature. Your CTA should align with your goal. Do you need subscribers? Say it upfront. Do you want newsletter sign-ups? Point them there. Be clear, because clarity converts.

One YouTube channel that nails this is Diary of a CEO. They’re direct, transparent, even a little cheeky, and it works. They tell you exactly what percentage of viewers aren’t subscribed. It’s psychology, and it’s effective.

When I think about where podcasting is heading, here’s what excites me most: The next evolution hasn’t been invented yet. The rules aren’t fixed. The opportunities aren’t capped. There are so many ways to break the system, to split content across platforms, to treat video and audio as siblings instead of clones, to build entire ecosystems around a show.

My advice to creators is simple: Keep pushing. Keep experimenting. Keep questioning the rules. This industry is still young, still fluid, still full of possibility. The next wave won’t appear on its own. We have to build it together.

🎧 Podcast of the Week: Gloss Angeles

If you love beauty podcasts that feel equal parts insightful and delightfully fun, Gloss Angeles is a must-listen. Hosts Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan Christensen bring sharp reporting and plenty of personality to conversations about skincare, makeup, trends, and the stories behind them.

🥾 Further Exploration: Podcast Statistics & Industry Trends 2025: Listens, Gear, & More

The Podcast Host breaks down the latest listener trends, platform shifts, and industry data in a way that’s truly useful. It’s a quick pulse check on the medium’s momentum and a great way to spot opportunities for your own show.

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💡 The Quiet Spark

A weekly question to ignite fresh thinking, stir self-reflection, and fuel your creative process behind the mic.

What are you asking your audience to do, and is it clear enough for them to act?